There's enough Sims games in my list - which is why I'm not including this even in the one-shot played honorable mention games. However, this game deserves recognition because it was the start of an era for me. Back then, I did a lot of building. Some gameplay, to be sure, but a lot of it was building. I wasn't very good at it, mind you... but I tried. I didn't use mods (never even considered the possibility) , didn't know anything about challenges... and just generally enjoyed the game.

First, some history:

The game released in February of 2000, and the final DLC for it came out in 2003. Which, when you look at it, was a pretty good run of time for a game back then. The original game got a 92 Metacritic rating, and I think that's pretty accurate. It was a novel idea at the time - and it was stupidly addicting. It won Game of the Year in several game award shows, and "Best Simulation" from IGN. As of March 2015, The Sims had sold more than 11.24 million copies for PC. It truly spawned a legacy. When I looked back through my posts on this blog, I found one where I compared the Sims games.. and I honestly couldn't think of a better way to describe Sims 1. My opinions on it haven't changed.

"Yes, I started playing Sims way back with the first one... and I was hooked nearly right away. I still have the whole game, including all expansions, installed on my computer.. and I even occasionally load it up and play a bit! 🙂 Most of the time back then, my time was spent building houses and neighborhoods, but I did play with the simmies quite a bit too. I have lots of fond memories of the first game, and my addiction to the series has only grown since then!"

Things I miss:

• Magic Town!!!!  Man, that place was the very best. The magic system really was quite a challenge! There was so very much flavor involved with the town, and having a completely separate "MagiCoins" currency was a fun idea. This is what I usually go back to Sims 1 to play - just to mess around. I loved the baby daffodil-munching dragons, and all the work involved in getting spell reagents... and the HUGE amount of work needed to actually purchase a Magic Town home.
• Superstar. Cliche, but I really liked it. The way you did the different careers were really interesting, in my opinion, and it completely over-rode my dislike of everything celebrity and "fashionable" in today's culture.
• Pet Shows. Seriously, those were fun. The Unleashed pack really did add quite a lot to the game, and all the different things you could do with the little furry creatures was a lot of fun.
• Bella Goth. (Enough said.. lol)

Things I DON'T miss:

• Kids never aging up. This annoyed me no end. Really, I utterly hated the never-ending or progressing way the game handled.
• The graphics. Boy, does that game look dated now! 🙂